The teacher should have a meeting of the school trustees and of the
mothers of the pupils and outline the method of procedure. It is only in
this way that the co-operation of all can be secured, and without this
co-operation there can be no success. This meeting should be addressed
by the Public School Inspector; and after the consent of the parents and
the trustees has been secured, the scheme may be put into operation.
Some thought will have to be given to the organization, in order that
the plan may work smoothly. If properly organized, there need be little
or no interruption to the ordinary routine of the school.
The pupils, both boys and girls, should be arranged in groups, each
group taking the work in turn. Even the smallest pupils should be
allowed to take part, as there are many duties which they can perform
successfully. If each group is composed of five or six pupils, the work
may be arranged as follows: two will prepare the dish, two will get the
table or the desks ready (or each pupil may prepare his own desk), and
the others will wash the dishes.
The furnishing of supplies is a problem which each teacher will have to
solve for herself, according to the conditions which exist in the
community. Supplies which can be stored are best purchased by the school
trustees; while the mothers of the pupils should furnish the perishable
articles, such as milk and butter. As often as possible, the pupils may
be asked to bring various articles, such as a potato, an apple, a
carrot, an egg, etc. These may be combined and prepared in quantities.
The school garden should be relied upon to supply many vegetables in
season, thus adding interest and life to both the garden work and the
lunch. In some districts the neighbourhood is canvassed for
subscriptions in order to provide funds to purchase supplies for the
term lunches. Some schools give a concert or entertainment in order to
raise funds for this purpose, and in others all the supplies have been
purchased by the school trustees.
The pupils who are to prepare the hot dish may make the necessary
preparations before school or at recess, and they must so time the
cooking that the dish will be ready when required. They should be
allowed to leave their desks during school hours to give it attention if
necessary. In schools where this method is adopted, it has been found
that the privilege has never been abused, nor have the other pupils been
less attentive on account of it. However, most of the recipes suggested
later require little or no attention while cooking.
At twelve o'clock the assigned pupils get the dish ready for serving and
set the table. The others wash their hands, tidy their hair, and get
their lunch boxes. All pass to their places. The pupils who have
prepared the dish may serve it, using trays to carry each pupil's
supply, or the pupils may pass in line before the serving table and to
their places, time being thus saved. When the meal is finished, the
pupils rise and bring their dishes to the serving table and stack them
with the other dishes. Two remain behind to clear up and wash the
dishes, while the others go to play. If the desks are used, each pupil
is responsible for leaving his own desk clean.
The pupils may be required to keep an account of the cost of the food
and to calculate the cost per head per day or per week. A schedule of
the market prices of food should be posted in a conspicuous place, and
the pupils may take turns in keeping these prices up to date. A separate
black-board may be used for this purpose.
The dish chosen should be as simple as possible--a vegetable or cream
soup, cocoa, baked potatoes, baked apples, white sauce with potatoes or
other vegetables, apple sauce, rice pudding, etc. It may be well, in
some cases, to have plans made on Friday for the following week. As a
rule, each day a little before or after four o'clock, the recipe for the
following day should be discussed, the quantities worked out to suit the
number of pupils, and the supplies arranged for. The element of surprise
should be made use of occasionally, the pupils not being allowed to know
the dish until they take their places.